The Impact of Mobile Phone usage on Academic Performance among

Third Year TCM Students of USTP of Cagayan de Oro Campus

Tejada, Gweneth Kane C.

University of Science and Technology of

of Southern Philippines

Introduction

Globalization has changed our lives from the era of communicating with
pen and paper which takes days before information could get to the destination and one
of the ways in which it changed our lives, is how we communicate effectively through
advancements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). According to
Ling (2004), mobile phones have become an almost essential part of daily life since
their rapid growth in popularity in the late 1990s. According to Haruna et al (2016),
mobile phones are the most necessary medium of communication for adolescents. It
has virtually affected the society's accessibility, security, safety and coordination of
business and social activities and has hence become a part of a culture of the whole
world. Ling (2004), states that traditional agents of socialization are families and
schools. With the expansion of the educational system as a result of the need for highly
skilled workers lead to the school system taking increasing larger responsibilities in
socialization. Surprisingly, research on the influence of mobile phone on our schools
today has not been given much attention. There is the conflicting priority of young
people, parents, and teachers in relation to the mobile phone device, with teachers
more concerned about issues such as discipline in the classroom and parents worried
about means of contacting their children at every point in time (Haruna et al, 2016).

A basic mobile phone is regarded as a pocket-sized device which has

telecommunication capabilities that stores contact information, possesses text
messaging features and keeps track of appointments as well as setting reminders.
Mobile phones vary in design with basic models allowing students to have access to
each other simply by phone or text on the go (Wood, 2006). More complicated mobile
phones present a better variety of abilities such as video, camera, audio recording,
multimedia messaging and internet access (Livingston, 2004). Additionally, these
sophisticated mobile phones, also known as a smartphone, offer a greater range of
capabilities, such as integrated PDA device that combines Bluetooth, built-in calculator
for simple mathematics, mass storage, gaming features, text messaging, MP3 player
and networking features into one compacted system (Wood, 2006). Mobile phones
organize the purposes of the phone, camera, video, media player and wireless
computers into a single gadget. These functions could supplement science teaching
and learning which contains complicated content and scientific processes that are
otherwise difficult to teach (Taber, 2005). Mobile phones can be
www.ijsrm.humanjournals.com Citation: Enyi Uko Jairus et al. Ijsrm.Human, 2017; Vol.
6 (3): 104-118. 106 used in making calls, texting, taking pictures, recording audio and
video, storing information, providing music and movies as well as interacting with the
internet. All of these capabilities enable us to become so connected to our daily lives
that it seems almost impossible to hear that somebody does not have a mobile phone
(Horizon Report, 2009).

So many investigations carried out realized that the use of mobile phone
in schools is problematic. As backed by Ling and Helmerson (2000), the mobile phone
is "at cross purpose with the mission of the school". While in school students are
supposed to take on their prescribed roles as students with full concentration on their
studies and free from contact with the outside world. However, the mobile phone gives
room to blending students' roles with other roles thus distracting and disrupting the
students' academic work (Gergen, 2002). In the past when fixed telephones were the
norm in schools, there were minimum distractions and disruptions but presently with the
invasion of mobile phone and the eagerness of parents to maintain contact with their
words, the device is becoming part of the classroom (Haruna et al, 2016). Thus, the
mobile phone has the power to undermine the schools' authority and weaken their
control over students as well as affects their level of academic performances.

There are various educational benefits of mobile phone technologies that

are most often cited as; easily accessing content, integrating a broad range of
educational activities, supporting independent study and student organization,
encouraging student enthusiasm, supporting classroom-based collaboration and
interaction as well as supporting inquiry- based instruction and learning (Roschelle,
2003). More sophisticated mobile phones, also known as smartphones, can be used to
assist students in accessing information from the web, transforming it, transferring it,
collaborating with students and also creating a more media-rich approach to instruction
(Ferry, 2009). Recent advances in ICT have significantly increased the possibilities of
mobile phones being used as instructional tools, because of their increasing processing
power, memory and connectivity which have made these technologies drastically more
interactive (Pea & Maldonado, 2006). Additionally, Vavolua (2005) suggests that these
technologies can be used in science during field trips, where students gather scientific
data for future analysis in the laboratory. www.ijsrm.humanjournals.com Citation: Enyi
Uko Jairus et al. Ijsrm.Human, 2017; Vol. 6 (3): 104-118. 107

It is known that in this generation, students own very powerful

multimedia technologies which make it easier for file sharing and messaging to take
place, these activities do not normally fit into the conventional classroom setting.
Today's young adults are more at ease with the use of collaborative technologies and
they have fully grown in an era of mobile phone technologies. There was a time in
previous generations where a notebook and pen were the basic learning tools, but
nowadays students attend their classes equipped with mobile phones (Economist
Intelligence Unit, 2008).

Students are more likely to engage in rich technology interactions

when they are outside the classroom (Haythornthwaite & Andrews, 2007) in order to
supplement what has already been taught in class. According to Prensky (2005), mobile
phone technologies are not only used in communicating with others but are actually
computers that are small as well as portable and students carry this technology
wherever they go, therefore these technologies can be used for learning purposes.
Educators need to realize that today's students have these mobile phone technologies
and it has become central to their lives, so the best thing is to integrate these devices
into teaching and learning.

Mobile phone technology is a necessity in a student's life and also

an important technological device to them. They are basically used for making and
receiving calls, text, and picture messaging and accessing the internet. Today's
students are extremely competent in the use of mobile phones (Haythornthwaite &
Andrews, 2007). Students consider these devices as a pleasant, individual possession
in which no other device is observed.

Mobile phones are also seen as a trendy accessory that suits

students' individual needs often expressed choice of mobile wallpaper, ringtones, phone
covers and other fashion accessories (Attewell, 2005). University students use mobile
phones far more often than desktop computers and even laptops. This implies that
mobile phones can be an even more significant learning tool and a typically raised area
in the near future (Kimura, 2011). Therefore, mobile phone technologies can support
students in their learning by exploring their world through these technologies.
Aim and objectives of the study

This work is aimed at investigating the impact of mobile phones usage

on academic performance among Third Year TCM Students of USTP Cagayan de Oro
and the specific objectives were to:

Investigate the influence of utilization of mobile phone technology on academic

performance among secondary school students.

Find out the influence of mobile phone usage on academic performance among
male and female secondary schools students.

Find out the influence of mobile phone usage on academic performance among
secondary school students with the different parental background.
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